Preview: Tuesday July 25th, 2006, 6-8pm
Exhibition continues until September 2nd, 2006

In this exhibition "If signs had souls", Swedish artist Lars Arrhenius imagines what life might be like for those universal symbols of public signage. The combination of media, wry observation and social narrative complemented by a blend of irony and mordant humour are typical of Arrhenius's work. This exhibition, his first solo in Ireland, will comprise two large wall mounted pieces as well as digital animation.

Arrhenius offers a unique view of urban life in the two dimensional and highly developed society he has created and populated with pictographic people. Darkly funny, his complex narratives examine human habits and places of habitation. "The Street" (animation, 2004) depicts night and day in a contrasting black and white universe, where digital characters follow their daily routines with a remarkable civil obedience. Arrhenius provides his inhabitants with busy lifestyles and a community based around the gym, nightclub, supermarket or hospital. The characters in his street drama, whether working at the office, at home having sex ,or out walking the dog, are all propelled by the same force of the humdrum; the pace of life toiling onwards and repeatedly. In "Habitat" (animation, 2003), Arrhenius opens up a three floor apartment block to observe an absurd sequence of moments occurring in the lives of ten people. Their private world is at once familiar. The effect of being able to see "behind-closed doors' is ultimately fascinating, akin to the guilty pleasures of watching a soap opera.

The more complex "A-Z" (2002) comprises a series of encircled and intertwined stories drawn onto a regular London street map, denoting a definite urban setting. Similarly, the various characters engage in a flow of micro-events while the viewer monitors their progress. In "The Man Without Qualities" (animation, 2001), Arrenhius presents us with a central protagonist or anti-hero who plays out the vicissitudes of man's life from the cradle to the grave. Although these characters dwell in a world mirroring reality, our engagement with our two dimensional counterparts is impersonal. In this fictitious world where signs have souls, individuals are depicted merely as cogs in the rotating machinery of life. In his portrayal of the mundane, the artist's position remains decidedly ambiguous; his observations delivered with deadpan precision. Often likened to a modern day Bruegel, Arrhenius's penchant for pithy humour and his understanding of human foibles links him to a succession of social satirists from Jane Austen to Woody Allen.

Lars Arrhenius, was born in Stockholm in 1966 where he continues to live and work. His work has achieved considerable recognition internationally with solo exhibitions in London, New York, Milan, Amsterdam, Denmark and Spain.

To request further information or images for press please contact Claire Power, Press Officer, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios tel. 00353 1 671 0073.